Near Field Communication (NFC) technology such as FeliCa (Felica stands for Felicity Card; a contact-less RFID chip smart card system) is becoming one of key function technologies provided on mobile handsets. There are various service scenarios using NFC on mobile handsets. Typical examples are Mobile FeliCa services provided by the Japanese mobile operators, which include payment functions to buy goods at a shop using a mobile handset. Amongst others, Mobile FeliCa is used as an instant and convenient communication means to transfer media content files from one device (e.g., PC, mobile handset, AV device) to another. It is thus foreseen that NFC technologies will be used in a variety of different scenarios in media content distribution and sharing.
One of the NFC applications is a service after a passenger checks in at the airport. There is a scenario at the airport where after check-in, the passenger can pass through predetermined gates and unlock doors for the lounge by touching an electric key to a predetermined region of the gates or the doors of the lounge in the airport. This can be imagined along with recent strengthening security. This will be probably realized by using IC cards, etc. However, if the function of this electronic key can be installed in passenger's mobile terminal with NFC technology, it is effective because an IC card does not need to be issued.
As another example, NFC technology can be applied to a service after a customer checks in at a hotel. This application using the mobile terminal after the hotel check-in is not yet realized. However, if the mobile terminal can be applied to the electric key, the customer may use his/her mobile terminal as a hotel-key and other keys for the use of utilities in the hotel. Moreover, as the example of the application to the airport, it is effective because an IC card do not need to be issued.
Next, the present typical NFC service is explained using FIG. 1.
Step-S1: The user must download an (so-called) IC-application (software module) from a web application server run by the NFC service provider. An IC-application is a Java or C application that is dedicated for an individual NFC service (e.g. the airport gate service or the hotel door-key service), and it implements the special APIs for accessing a NFC chip inside the mobile handset as described in the next step.
Step-S2: After the IC-application is downloaded, the user needs to start the IC-application to install “application setting” to the NFC chip. The application setting is required data set to install a NFC application on the chip and they include application-specific access keys, area codes, and service codes [2]. The access keys serve as application firewalls that prevent unauthorized access to the application area, for example, to prevent NFC readers/writers without the access keys from accessing the application area. The IC-application downloads the application setting on-line from the web application server and installs them on the chip. FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of an NFC Chip. An area 4 is an individual NFC application installed in the NFC chip. An application-specific area code, an application-specific service code and an application-specific access keys are shown in blocks 5, 6 and 7 respectively. A user credential is stored in Data block-A, 8 in the next step-S3.
Step-S3: In case of the above-mentioned NFC service scenarios, the user is also required to register user information via web interface provided by the IC-application so that the NFC service provider can identify the user within a system. To this end, the service provider issues a corresponding user credential, which could be a unique token, ID, or whatever that identifies the user. The user credential is then returned to the IC-application to be stored in the Data block area managed by the NFC application (FIG. 1B).
Step-S4: In case of the above-mentioned NFC service scenarios, the derived user credential may also be copied to relevant NFC readers/writers placed in a real environment (e.g., NFC gates in the airport, electronic door key devices in the hotel building). This user credential delivery is performed over the corresponding IT system, which is secure enough.
As mentioned above, the following problems should be considered when bootstrapping the NFC application on mobile handsets.
First, it is very cumbersome for the user to download the IC-application or setting (e.g., in front of the airline check-in counter or the hotel reception). It requires at least a few steps and time for clicking web links to reach the target web site of the NFC service provider. Japanese IT journalist [3] points out that the biggest hurdle to prevent dissemination of Mobile FeliCa services is that the users are required to conduct too-cumbersome/too-complex configuration of Mobile FeliCa applications, which includes download of IC-application and setup of the application as described through Steps S1-S3 above.
Second, as discussed in Step-S3, the NFC service provider needs to develop a secure identification system for this type of NFC services in order to securely identify each user and to distribute the user credential to relevant NFC R/W devices. CapEx and OpEx for such a secure identification system will be huge, which may discourage new entry of NFC service providers to this type of NFC services. Note that this would not be a problem for some potential NFC service providers that already have their own customer identification system such as airline companies, each of which has a mileage point service that is tightly coupled with customer ID number. In this case, the user credential used in Steps-S3 and S4 can be identical to that customer ID number. However, this should be a problem for the rest of potential NFC service providers who don't have any customer identification system.
For example, amusement park companies like Disney Land may not have such an identity system, but this type of user-tailored NFC services is definitely useful and attractive for the users and providers of amusement parks.